Details
Brand
Salomon
Heel To Toe Drop
10mm
Breathability
6.8/10
Latest Version
S-Lab Wings 8 SG
Terrain
Trail
Type
Neutral
Key Features
• The profeel film delivers additional midfoot protection but also retains the shoe’s responsiveness and overall ground feel• EVA cushioning with dual density is minimal but strategically placed throughout the midsole to protect and stabilize the foot• Endofit and Sensifit technologies provide the shoe with a comfortably snug fit, the design of the overlays cradles the wearer’s feet, and the lacing system is good for quickly adjusting the shoe’s fit• The nylon lining is designed to wick moisture away and keep feet dry and comfortable• Rubber outsole that uses Contragrip technology is good at making the wearer stick to slippery wet surfaces, giving them great traction on roads and trails alike.• The upper is lightweight, breathable and durable, made of a combination of mesh and 2-way stretch Lycra• The quick lacing system is made of a single piece of Kevlar making it highly durable but also quickly adjustable
Upper
This is a shoe that is built for wet trails and as such it is a closed mesh upper. The Endofit and Sensifit technologies work together to really wrap around the foot to give the shoe a sock-like feeling. This is great if you are looking for a shoe that moves with your foot and gives you a lot of flexibility. There is an additional rubber around the entire front of the shoe, which is great for protecting your foot from trail debris. The quick lace system is great at connecting to the upper and giving you a customizable feeling, the lace itself is made of a single piece of Kevlar so it is extremely durable and will not break. This is not a wide shoe but it does offer some decent toe box room, great for spreading out your toes and getting a good toe-off.
Midsole
The midsole features 2 types of EVA material, as well as ProFeel Film. Injected EVA and molded EVA material work together to give nice underfoot cushion for a soft ride. These dual-density EVAs are great at giving a cushioned feeling while retraining the responsiveness of the shoe. The ProFeel Film is used instead of a rock plate, found in older trail shoe models. Instead of a heavy unresponsive rock plate, the ProFeel Film protects the midsole while being light and retaining good ground feeling throughout the shoe, which is essential for speed and flexibility. When comparing this shoe to the S-Lab Sense series it does have slightly more midsole material and is a little bit more padded.
Outsole
This outsole utilizes Contigrip, which is a semi-sticky rubber that holds up well to wear and tear. It also flexes slightly which adds a little bit of rebound and also traction as it grips challenging surfaces. This shoe retains many of the features of the S-Lab Sense series, but where it really stands out is the height of the lugs. Although the lugs are larger, more defined, and built for traction in soft terrain, the outsole is still built for flexibility and a minimal feeling. Exposed sections of the Pro-Feel Film offer protection underfoot but also give the shoe a great responsive feeling. These sections of ProFeel Film also further reduce the weight of this already lightweight shoe. The outsole is lightweight and built for quick traction in tough conditions.
Breathability
This is a closed mesh upper which does sacrifice a little bit of breathability when you compare it to the uppers with open mesh found on some of the other S-Lab series shoes but this is a good choice for the purpose of this shoe. It is built for wet muddy trails and snowy terrain so the closed mesh upper is great for keeping your toes somewhat dry and warm in those really tough conditions. You don’t always need an extremely breathable shoe and this one was designed with terrain in mind.
Comfort
The Salomon S-Lab Wings SG does not contain a lot of cushioning and is definitely more on the responsive side, but it does have a slightly higher stack height than the S-Lab Sense series which makes it slightly more cushioned. The Endofit which gives the shoe a sock-like feeling is great at enhancing the comfort and the fit of this shoe. There is a good amount of space in the toe box as well, great for runners who like to spread their toes a little.
Style
Salomon has swapped out the traditional dominant color, traditionally reserved for the S-Lab series, red for black. It still has a style that makes it obviously an S-Lab shoe, especially the way it appears low to the ground, minimalist and fast. The fact that it is primarily black is great for cleaning, especially when you are going to be tackling messy terrains.
Durability
The Salomon S-Lab Wings SG is a highly durable shoe, like most Salomon shoes, it uses the best technologies available to make sure it will go the distance. It’s so durable in fact that some users noticed a significant wear in periods after taking the shoe out of the box but it was also noted that once you break this shoe in, you’re going to get many miles out of this shoe.
Protection
Despite the minimal feeling of the shoe, there are a lot of protective features. There is a nice bumper area at the front of the shoe’s toe box which is great for protecting your foot from trail debris. There isn’t a traditional rock plate but there is the ProFeel Film which does a great job protecting you from anything underfoot while still maintaining responsiveness and giving a good ground feel. There are also large lugs that do a good job of digging into soft terrain, keeping you upright on the trails. There isn’t a lot of cushioning in the shoe so it’s ideal to transition slowly from something more cushioned to something this minimalist to avoid overuse injuries.
Responsiveness
The Salomon S-Lab Wings SG shoe is more cushioned than some others in the S-Lab series but overall it is certainly more on the responsive end. The ProFilm and dual density EVA cushioning give the shoe great ground feel while still protecting you from the elements. The Contigrip outsole also gives runners some good ground feel with it’s soft, sticky rubber.
Support
The S-Lab Wings SG is a shoe built for people with a very powerful stride and performing well at race pace. There are not a lot of supportive features in the shoe but the 10mm offset and the glove-like feeling of this shoe are great at promoting proper form and getting you up on your feet for a strong toe-off. Runners looking to transition from a supportive shoe to a more minimal racing shoe should start out slowly in these shoes.
Terrain
The Salomon S-Lab Wings SG shoe is built to go the distance on soft terrains such as mud or snow. The larger lugs make this shoe terrain specific, otherwise, you risk wearing these lugs down prematurely. The Contigrip also does a good job of flexing and sticks to wet surfaces well. Salomon has included “SG” in the name of this shoe because it was specifically engineered to tackle soft ground, the outsole also has a heel that’s great for digging in on those soft slippery downhill portions.
Price
This was initially priced at 180 USD, which is a really high price for any shoe. It is built for durability and racing and at that price, many runners will be saving this shoe for race day. Although it is more expensive then preferred, it will give you a lot of fast miles, but because it is terrain specific, for wet and snowy terrain, if those aren’t the trails you frequent, this trail shoe might rarely see action.
Drop
The heel to toe drop for the Salomon S-Lab Wings SG is 10mm. The heel’s extra space is good for a little extra cushioning, ideal for steep declines. It’s also good for getting runners quickly on their toes for a strong push off. The drop in the shoe is barely noticeable, making it ideal for a smooth transition from touch down to lift off.
Stability
The shoe is good at wrapping around the foot and creating a secure fit throughout. Because this shoe has a low stack height and has a good width it has a very stable feeling ride. There isn’t much arch support so this shoe is ideal for runners with good foot strength and a good stride, it has medium cushioning and because of the drop, it does push runners on to their toes, instead of spending too much time on the heel which does compromise stability.
Flexibility
This is a shoe built for fast runners who have a high cadence and excellent foot strength. Because of this, the outsole’s grooves and the minimal amount of cushioning are well built for a very flexible shoe. It will stick to the wearer’s feet and move with them, offering a really fast and responsive ride. The flexibility in the forefoot is especially good for getting nice and solid take offs, adding to the wearer’s overall speed.
Traction
The lugs found on the SG version of Salomon S-Lab Wings have lugs that protrude more, which is great for allowing the shoes to really dig into the wet terrain and provide a lot of traction in some situations where traction is tough. The Contigrip outsole also really helps because of the soft rubber that really grips on to smoother wet surfaces providing good traction on all around difficult trail surfaces.
Bottom Line
The Salomon S-Lab Wings SG is a terrain specific shoe that works wonders on soft trails. Salomon has built many of its race quality features into this shoe and it deserves the S-Lab title usually reserved for Salomon’s best shoe builds and its elite runners. At this price tag it is an expensive shoe but one that is durable and fast and ready for race day, so if you want to hit those muddy trails, stay aloft and have a lot of fast fun, this is the shoe for you.
